Technical Oddities

October 26, 2017 at 8:00 AM

From zombies and vampires to witches and werewolves, it’s the time of year when we celebrate the spooky, strange and weird. In the spirit of Halloween, we are also going to take a moment to highlight some technical oddities. Here are some strange, or strangely wonderful, inventions in the world of tech.

1.Tail-Wagging Robot Pillow

Love the idea of having a pet, but don’t want to deal with the feeding, walking, fur or any of the other responsibilities that go along with having a pet? Now there’s an invention for you! The tail-wagging robot pillow is soft and fluffy, it will sit on your lap and even wag its tail when you pet it. Perfect for people with allergies or who live in small spaces, or those who just want the comfort of a pet without the list of to-dos that normally go along with owning one.

2.Robotic Exoskeletons

Initially, exoskeletons were meant to help with rehabilitation for people with a damaged or lost limb or other limiting injury. The next generation of robotic exoskeletons are going beyond that by promising superhuman abilities like being able to lift a car. There is also the possibility of military exoskeletons that would give enhanced abilities to troops in combat, such as bulletproof body armor and enhanced strength to carry more powerful weapons and navigate through treacherous terrain.

3.Speakerhat

When earbuds or headphones won’t do the trick, now there is the speakerhat. This modern-day reinvention of the boom box is a baseball cap with Bluetooth speakers embedded in the brim of the hat. Not only will you be able to look cool in your new tech accessory, you can walk around with your own personal soundtrack blaring from the speakers.

4.Facial Scanners that Stop Toilet Paper Theft

You might not consider toilet paper theft to be a real issue, but apparently it was at a temple in Beijing, China. One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Chinese capital found that toilet paper theft had become a substantial cost as they were buying thousands of rolls of paper every month. To combat this issue, they installed facial recognition scanners that dispense a certain amount of toilet paper and store the person’s face in a temporary data base. If that same face returns for more toilet paper within nine minutes from their previous visit, it will not dispense any more paper. Toilet paper caper, solved!

5.App to Stop SUI (Shopping Under the Influence)

Many have done it, few like to admit it – the late night act of online shopping after having too many adult beverages. What seems like a good idea at night, can prove to be a mistake in the morning. Fortunately, now there’s an app that blocks your credit cards for 12 hours if you’re over the alcohol limit. You may want to download this app before you wake up to a shipping confirmation for a box full of buyer’s remorse.